Bradley Beal named a few teams he would be interested in joining after his contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns is completed. Among these teams, the Los Angeles Lakers have received significant attention. However, Lakers insider Jovan Buha suggested that this may not be the best move for the 3x All-Star. While discussing the topic on a recent episode of “Buha’s Block”, he said:
“There was a report in The Athletic today by Fred Katz, where he reported that there are four teams on Beal’s list that he’s interested in, and that’s the Lakers, the Warriors, the Clippers, and the Milwaukee Bucks.”
“Those all make sense to varying degrees,” he continued. “With the Lakers, I think he’d probably be a bench player, to be completely honest. I don’t think a Luka-LeBron-Beal-Austin lineup makes much sense. You talk about replacing Rui with a starting-level defensive wing. You replace Rui with Bradley Beal, you’re getting much worse defensively, and smaller.”
Buha noted that at this stage in Beal’s career, he had more value coming off the bench, especially on the Lakers. The Clippers, on the other hand, would be a better opportunity for the Suns guard, per Buha, who added, “Looks like the Clippers might have opened up a starting shooting guard spot for him, and maybe he’ll go there.”
The Clippers’ recent trade dealings have opened up a vacancy in their starting shooting guard position, and considering they were viewed as favorites to acquire Beal, the situation seems to align.
Buha also mentioned the Warriors and the Bucks as potential landing spots but speculated that the Bucks might be the best opportunity for the guard. He said:
“He could go there, he could start, he could put up some big numbers next to Giannis, maybe even be their second main scorer, and rehab his value.”
Buha concluded by saying that Beal may not end up with the Lakers, primarily because other teams would provide a better opportunity for individual success. With this in mind, the Purple and Gold may also shift their attention elsewhere.
Talks With De’Anthony Melton Cool Down
De’Anthony Melton was another wing defender who had received some attention from the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason. While the Lakers had shown recent interest in the defensive specialist, the insider suggested that these conversations have cooled down.
“The chatter with the Lakers and Melton has cooled over the last few days, and there’s actually been more buzz with him and the Warriors. So he’s been linked with them a little bit more,” said Buha.
While Melton’s potential addition presents an interesting outlook for the Golden State Warriors, the insider adds that the Dubs are in limbo until the Jonathan Kuminga situation is resolved.
With Melton potentially falling out of contention as a target for the Lakers this offseason, the Purple and Gold will have to dig deeper into the list of available free agents to build their roster strength.
Considering that the team also has some potential trades to complete on the horizon, the Lakers could simply be biding their time before pulling the trigger on any moves.
